Composite roof panel or shingle



Sept. 13, 1938. A. ELMENDORF 2,130,178

COMPOSITE ROOF PANEL OR SHINGLE Filed Jan. 21, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet lSept. 13, 1938. A. ELMENDORF 2,130,178

COMPOSITE ROOF PANEL OR SHINGLE Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNQ'FED STATESPATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

The present invention has for its object to produce a roofing materialin which wood and felt or the like are so combined that the completedroof has the appearance of one covered 5 with wood shingles while thefelt is concealed and provides the major portion of the overlap neededin a shingle roof.

A further object of the invention is to produce a novel roofing materialwhich, although having 10 the appearance of a roof composed of woodshingles, when laid, may be laid much more rapidly and easily than woodshingles.

In carrying out my invention I form what may be regarded as very wideshingles constructed in 15 two sections, the lower of which consists ofwood while the upper section comprises felt or other suitable flexiblematerial, preferably saturated with asphalt or other water proofingmaterial. The two sections of each shingle are preferably 20 of the samelength, and they overlap each other somewhat, usually about two inches.When such material is laid in the manner of ordinary shingles, inhorizontal rows, with the lower wood section of the shingles in each rowoverlying 25 and concealing the felt sections in the next lower row,there is produced a covering or facing of double thickness, onethickness consisting of wood and the other of felt or the like.

Therefore, viewed in one of its aspects, the

as present invention may be said to have for its object to produce asimple and novel roof containing a shingle-like facing or covering theexposed surface of which is composed of wood and which also containsfelt or the like through- 35 out the entire length and breadth thereof.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively frontv or outer 45 and back or innerelevations of one of my improved shingle units; Fig. 3 is an edge viewof one of the units, on a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2, looking atthe righthand edge of Fig. 1 or the lefthand edge of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is asec- 5 tion, on the same scale as Fig. 3, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5is a section on line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan view of a fragmentof a roof having thereon my improved roofing material, the scale beingthe same as that of Figs. 1 and 55 2; Fig. 7 is a section on line 'l--'lof Fig. 6, the

scale being the same as that of Figs. 3 to 5; Fig. 8 is a verticalsection through a fragment of a roof, illustrating fragments of shingleunits already laid and a fragment of another unit about to be laid; Fig.9 is a plan view of a frag- 5 ment of a roof partially covered with aslightly modified form of roofing material; Fig. 10 is a view of a sideedge of the wooden section of one of the shingle units in Fig. 9; Fig.11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, showing either the top or the 10 bottomedge of a wooden section; and Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 8,illustrating further the manner of laying the roofing material shown inFigs. 9 to 11.

In Figs. 1 to 8 I have illustrated shingle units 15 in which each unitis preformed and comprises a lower section i of wood and an uppersection 2 of felt, the lower end of the felt extending a short distanceover the upper marginal portion of the wood section and being fastenedthereto in any suitable way, conveniently by so called metal stitching3. The dimensions of each such unit are largely a matter of choice.However, the wood preferably consists of comparatively thin boardmaterial, say from three-eighths of an inch to one-half inch thick andhaving its grain run up and down as in an ordinary wood shingle. Formost purposes each wood section may have about seven inches of itslength exposed to the weather and, therefore, since there should beabout a two-inch overlap between the felt and the wood, the woodsections may be made about nine inches long. The felt sectionspreferably have the same length as the wood sections so that eachcomposite shingle unit, in the example given, is about sixteen incheslong. The width of each unit is preferably several feet and, withoutplacing any definite limits in this respect, ,it may be said thatordinarily a width of from three to six feet will be found satisfactory.

The wood section of each unit may be composed of narrow strips placededge to edge, or of boards of any desired width placed edge to edge andslit or otherwise treated to produce the effect of narrow strips orstrands. The assembly of wood pieces is held together near one long edgeby the felt that is stitched thereto. A convenient way of tying togetherthe strips in the vicinity of the other long edge of the sheet or panelis to place a strip of felt 4, or other suitable material, on the underside of the wood sheet parallel with and spaced half an inch or so backfrom the lower long edge of the unit; 55

this strip being fastened to the wood by a line of metal stitching 5.

In laying this material on the sheathing A or other roof base, theshingle units or panels are placed in horizontal rows, edge to edge, thejoints in adjacent rows being staggered. In Fig. 6 two rows have beenlaid. It will be seen that the wood sections of the second rowcompletely cover the felt sections of the first or lower row, so thatnothing but wood remains visible. The shingles or panels are secured tothe supporting base by a row of nails 8 driven through the overlapsbetween the felt and wood sections and into the roof base, as shown inFig. 6. Thus, the lower ends of the shingles are left free as in thecase of ordinary wood shingles. Since the wood pieces and the feltsheets or strips are of equal height or length, the upper marginalportions of the felt sections of the first row of shingles underlie theoverlaps between the sections of the shingles in the second row.Consequently, when a nail is driven in the manner just explained, itextends not only through a double thickness of one shingle, but alsothrough the upper marginal portion of the underlying felt section of ashingle in the next lower row, as best shown in Fig. 8.

The wood portions of meeting shingles in the same row may simply abutagainst each other because any water passing down through this jointmeets a solid or imperforate portion of the underlying felt and may rundown the latter until it escapes to the outside on top of the woodsection to which that piece of felt is attached. However, there shouldbe a definite overlap between meeting felt sections so that the felt ina row of shingles extending entirely across the roof shall be to allintents and purposes a continuous strip. For this reason each feltsection I is made somewhat wider than the corresponding wood section,the excess of felt being permitted to project in the manner of a flap orwing 1 beyond one side edge of the wood sheet or panel.

With this arrangement, whenever two shinglev units are placed with theirwood sections edge to edge, the wing or fiap on one unit overlaps thefelt portion of the other unit. This is illustrated in Fig. 6 in whichthe wing or fiap I of the righthand shingle unit in the second or upperrow overlies the righthand marginal portion of the felt forming part ofthe lefthand shingle in this row. If desired, suitable adhesivematerial, which is also waterproof, as for example, asphalt, may beinterposed between each flap or wing 1 and the corresponding area offelt overlapped thereby.

The felt panels of course sag somewhat since their upper ends restdirectly on the sheathing or other roof base, while their lower endsrest on top of the shingles in the next lower row. In some cases it maytherefore be deemed advisable to provide supports underneath the jointsbetween meeting felts so as to prevent such saggi-ng and insure againstany opening of joints that would permit water to reach the under side ofthe felt. Such supports may conveniently be wedges of wood of the samelength as the vertical dimension of the felt, less the amount 'ofoverlap between the felt and the wood; the thick portions of the wedgesbeing of the same thickness as the wood portions I. These wedges mayobviously be loose pieces, or they may be separate pieces fastened tothe felt, or each wood panel may havea long board or series of narrowstrips at one end. In the latter instance, the

upper end of the long piece of wood is fashioned into a wedge, asindicated at 8. The wedge, of course, underlies the marginal portionofthe felt at the opposite edge of the shingle from that to which the flapor wing I is located. Consequently, when shingles are assembled, edge toedge, the flap or wing l on one shingle rests upon a marginal portion offelt on the other shingle which is firmly supported upon an underlyingwedge.

In Figsn a to 12 I have illustrated a slightly diflerent form of myinvention. In this modified construction the wood sections i aresubstantially the same as those in the other form, but the felt membersiii are not fastened to the wood sections until the roof is being laid.This permits the'felt to be in long strips which may be in rollformation. In the laying of a roof, the felt may be unrolled and extendacross the entire horizontal width of the roof in one continuous piece.in shorter pieces which may be placed so that their ends overlap eachother for a considerable length. Each of the wood shingle sections isprovided on the under side, near what is to be the lower edge of theshingle, with the tie strip 4, stapled or otherwise fastened thereto at5, as in the other form. Since the felt is not originally stitched orotherwise fastened to the wood, some other holding means must beprovided along the upper edge of the wood section of each shingle. Inthe arrangement shown, I have provided a second tie strip il runningalong the upper edge and on the under side of the wood section; thisstrip being similar to the strip 4 and being fastened by means ofstitches or staples I2 corresponding to the stitches or staples 5. Inlaying this roofing material, a row of wood sections may be applied tothe roof base, the sections being engaged with each other end to end. Asheet or strip of felt I0 is then unrolled with its lower marginalportion overlapping the Or, if desired, the felt may be upper marginalportion of the previously laidwood sections. Nails 6 are then driventhroughthe .marginal portion of the felt along the lower edge andthrough the underlying wood shingles into'the roof base. A second row ofwood shingle sections is then superimposed upon the strip of felt, andthe process of applying another felt strip and nailing it down is thencarried out in the manner previously explained; the righthand end ofFig. 12 illustrating more or less diagrammatically a condition in whicha nail is about to be driven, while the next row of wood shinglesections is ready to be laid as soon as the driving of the line of nailshas been completed.

Because the wood portions of shingles in adjacent rows overlap only ashort distance, it is imperative that there be no cracks in the woodthrough which wind and rain could drive and reach the roof baseunderneath the felt. At the same time, the wood must have room to expandand contract'as it alternately becomes wet and dries out. Shinglesordinarily expand about three percent across their widths from a drystate to a wet state and, therefore, that much free space, in the formof cracks, must be left in a dry wood roof covering to avoid buckling ofthe wood when it becomes wet. Thus, the gaps between adjacent woodshingles of the ordinary type and having a width of six inches must beabout eighteen hundredths or approximately one-fifth of an inch. Suchgaps or cracks would be entirely too wide in a roof covering embodyingthe present invention, and wind and rain would find little ing orshingle material.

spaces instead of a single, wide one, and no wind or rain can be driventhrough them. For example, if the strips or strands be one-half inchwide, there are twelve joints for each six inches of wood and each ofthese needs have a width of only one-sixtieth of an inch instead ofabout onefifth inch, which is the gap required between two six inchordinary shingles. The roughness of the wood surfaces is sufficient toprovide the necessary room for expansion in the case of strips one-halfinch wide or even a little wider, even though such strips be placed inloose edge contact with each other. When the wood becomes wet in use,the strips expand and simply produce firm, instead of loose, contactsbetween themselves. What is true with respect to individual shingles isalso true of an entire row, and the wood sections of meeting shingles ina given row may be placed in loose contact with each other at the timeof laying a roof with the material in a normal, dry state.

The wood sections of each shingle unit in both forms illustrated may beregarded as a flexible mat the overall width of which remainssubstantially unchanged under the variations in moisture content towhich it is subjected while in actual use; the strip or strandconstruction solving the problem of allowing for expansion andcontraction of the wood without at any time leaving open joints orcausing buckling.

The wood may of course be treated to any suitable preservative as, forexample, by soaking it in ,reosote. As heretofore stated, the woodsections of the shingles may be either individual narrow strips placededge to edge or boards that have been slitted or otherwise treated toconvert them into connected strips or strands. Where board material isemployed, the strip or strand formation may conveniently be effected byslitting, in the manner disclosed in my Patent No. 2,018,712, or byrupturing, as in my Patent No. 1,819,775. The width of the strips orstrands may vary, but for most purposes a width of about one-half inchwill be found to be satisfactory.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a1 novel roofing materialwhich may be applied in large pieces so that labor costs of building aroof is low. Furthermore, the materials are fairly inexpensive since thewood portions need not be more than three-eighths of an inch to one-halfof an inch thick, while the felt need only a thickness of fromone-sixteenth to three thirtyseconds of an inch. It will also be seenthat while a completed roof is at least as attractive and neat inappearance as is a roof covered with ordinary wood shingles, there is nowarping or curling of the wood as occurs in the case of such shinglesand, at the same time, the roof is tighter and more leak-proof than isan ordinary shingle roof.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, with a single modification, I do notdesire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustratedand described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which comewithin the definitions of my invention, constituting the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A roofing material of the shingle type comprising a lower section ofwood and an upper section of felt overlapping each other at theirmeeting ends, the grain of the wood extending transversely of the loweredge of the shingle, and the wood being divided into narrow strips orstrands lengthwise of the grain.

2. A roofing material of the shingle type comprising a lower section ofwood and an upper section of felt overlapping each other at theirmeeting ends, the felt projecting beyond the wood at one side edge ofthe shingle to overlap the felt element of a meeting shingle in a roof,and a wedge strip underlying the marginal portion of the felt along theopposite side edge and extending from the wood section to the upper edgeof the felt.

3. A roofing material of the shingle type comprising a lower section ofwood and an upper section of felt overlapping each other at theirmeeting ends, the grain of the wood extending transversely of the loweredge of the shingle, the wood being divided into narrow strips orstrands lengthwise of the grain, the felt projecting beyond the wood atone side edge of the shingle to overlap the felt element of a meetingshingle in a roof, and the wood being continued upward underneath thefelt in the form of a wedge along the margin adjacent the opposite sideedge of the shingle to provide a support for the correspondingoverlapping felt elements in a roof.

4. A roof comprising a base for supporting a roof covering, panels ofthe shingle type each comprising a lower section of wood and an uppersection of felt overlapping each other for a short distance only attheir meeting ends, said panels being placed in horizontal overlappingrows'on said base, the felt projecting beyond the wood at one side edgeof each panel and overlapping the felt element of the next panel in thesame row, the Wood sections of the panels in a given row 'overlappingand covering the felt sections in the panels of the next lower row, andeach panel being secured to the base by nails driven into the basethrough the overlap between the two sections of the panel. I 5. A roofcomprising a base for supporting a roof covering, panels of the shingletype each comprising a lower section of wood and an upper section offelt overlapping each other for a short distance only at their meetingends, said panels being placed in horizontal overlapping rows on saidbase, the felt projecting beyond the wood at one side edge of each paneland overlapping the felt element of the next panel in the same row, thewood sections of the panels in a given row overlying the felt sectionsin the panels of the next lower row and having their lower edges locatedas far down on the roof as are the lower edges of the latter feltsections, and each panel being secured to the base by nails driven intothe base through the overlap between the two sections of the panel andthrough the underlying felt of the panels of the next lower row.

6. A roof comprising a base for supporting a roof covering, panels ofthe shingle type each comprising a lower section of wood and an uppersection of felt overlapping each other at their meeting ends, saidpanels being placed in horizontal overlapping rows on said base, thefelt projecting beyond-the wood at one side edge of each panel andoverlapping the felt element of the next panel in the same row, wedgestrips interposed between the base and the overlaps in the felt to'support the latter, the wood sections of the panels in a given rowoverlapping and covering the felt sections in the panels of the nextlower row, and each panel being secured to the base by nails driven intothe base through the overlap between the two sections of the panel.

'7. A roof containing a base, a roof covering comprising wide wood matsand long strips of felt, the mats being arranged in horizontal rows onsaid base, strips of felt underlying and being coextensive with each rowof mats. the mats of each row and the underlying felt overlapping theupper faces of the mats of the next lower row; the covering beingsecured to the base by nails driven into the base through the lowermarginal portions of each strip, through the mats overlapped by thatstrip, and through the felt underneath the latter mats; the mats in eachrow being in edge contact with each other and each mat being composed ofnarrow strips of wood extending from the upper end to the lower end andin edge contact with each other.

8. A roof containing a base, a roof covering comprising wide flexiblemats of wood and long strips of felt arranged in horizontal rows on saidbase, each row of mats overlying and being coextensive with acorresponding strip of felt to produce a two-layer construction, eachrow of mats and the underlying strips of felt overlying and overlappingthe upper marginal portions of the next lower row of mats, and nailsdriven into the base through the lower marginal portion of each feltstrip, whereby each felt is secured along both the upper and lowermargins and the mats are free along their lower ends; the mats ineach-row making edge contact with each other, the grain of the wood ineach mat running lengthwise of the mat, and each mat being divided alongthe grain thereof into narrow strips so close together that wind or raincannot be driven lengthwise through the joints in the wood for anysubstantial distance while the wood is dry.

9. A mat adapted to form the weather facing of a roof covering whichconsists of a wide, short panel of thin wood in which the grain runslengthwise, the wood. being divided along the grain into narrow stripslying close together when the wood is dry, and tie members extendingalong and secured to the margins at the upper and lower ends of the mat.

10. A mat adapted to form the weather facing of a roof covering whichconsists of a wide, short panel of thin wood in which the grain runslengthwise, the wood being divided along the grain into narrow stripslying close together when 'the wood is dry, and tie members in the formof narrow strips of felt underlying and stitched or otherwise secured tothe upper and lower ends of the mat.

11. A mat adapted to form the weather facing 'of a roof covering .whichconsists of a wide, short panel of thin wood in which the grain runslengthwise, the wood being divided along the grain into narrow stripstouching each other when the wood is dry, and means tying the stripstogether, the width of the strips being such that when the wood becomeswet the joints between them permit the wood to expand about threepercent without buckling.

12. In combination, a mat adapted to form a weather facing of a roofcovering which consists of a wide, short panel of thin wood in which thegrain runs lengthwise, the wood being divided along the grain intonarrow strips lying close together when the wood is dry, and tie membersextending along and secured to the margins at the upper and lower endsof said panel, the tie at the upper end of the panel being in the formof a sheet of felt the greater portion of which projects upwardly beyondthe panel.

ARMIN ELIWENDORF.

